On July 30, President Donald Trump announced that the United States has agreed to lower mutual tariffs on South Korea from 25% to 15% in exchange for South Korea investing $350 billion (approximately 487 trillion KRW) in the U.S. and other conditions.
In a post on his social media platform Truth Social after meeting with South Korea’s trade negotiation delegation at the White House, President Trump stated, "The United States has agreed to a comprehensive and complete trade deal with South Korea.

"Regarding the agreement’s details, Trump explained, "South Korea will provide $350 billion to the United States for investments owned and controlled by the U.S. and selected by me, the President."He further noted, "Additionally, South Korea has agreed to purchase $100 billion worth of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy products and to invest a significant amount of money for South Korea’s investment purposes. "Trump added, "This amount will be announced when South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung visits the White House for bilateral talks within the next two weeks," and expressed his desire to congratulate the new president on his election victory.

He also stated, "South Korea has agreed to fully open its trade with the United States and accept American-made products such as cars, trucks, and agricultural goods."He continued, "We have agreed on a 15% tariff on South Korea," adding, "The United States will not face tariffs."Prior to Trump’s announcement, South Korea’s government delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan, and Trade Negotiator Yeo Han-koo, visited the White House around 4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) to meet with President

Trump.The South Korean delegation was seen leaving the White House around 6:00 p.m., and Trump posted on social media at 6:16 p.m. to share news of the trade agreement.Previously, Trump had warned that if South Korea did not reach an agreement with the U.S., a 25% mutual tariff would be imposed starting August 1. The South Korean government had been negotiating with the U.S. to lower mutual tariffs and item-specific tariffs on products like automobiles and steel.

In this announcement, Trump did not mention item-specific tariffs on South Korea’s key export items to the U.S., such as automobiles and steel. The 15% mutual tariff imposed on South Korea aligns with the tariff rates previously agreed upon by the U.S. with Japan and the European Union (EU).Regarding the scale of investment in the U.S., the Trump administration previously stated that Japan agreed to invest $550 billion in U.S.-selected projects, with 90% of the investment profits going to the U.S. However, Trump did not mention the profit-sharing ratio for South Korea’s investments.

The U.S. has indicated that Japan’s investment funds will be allocated to strategic industries such as energy, semiconductors, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and shipbuilding, and South Korea’s investments are expected to be directed toward similar key sectors.